Blanka was originally designed as a human character by Akira "Akiman" Yasuda, and underwent several re-conceptualizations during the production of Street Fighter II before reaching his final depiction as a feral savage with green skin and long orange hair. Blanka's backstory is that he was once human, but after a plane crash in Brazil he mutated (resulting in his green coloring and his ability to generate electricity). Blanka was generally well received by critics and fans, becoming one of the most popular characters in the franchise.

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Designed by Akira "Akiman" Yasuda, the concept behind Blanka emerged in an early design as an African man named Anabebe who was raised by a lion.[1] After the release of Final Fight, Capcom again approached Street Fighter II and considered several designs for the Blanka character (including a masked wrestler modeled after Tiger Mask and a ninja-style warrior).[1][2] His design later changed to a large man with thick hair and sideburns, named "Hammer Blanka".[3] The staff then adopted Blanka's feral appearance, because they felt the game would be "dull" with only human characters.[4]

Blanka's most prominent physical characteristic is his green color, initially attributed to his consumption of chlorophyll from plants to blend into his jungle environment.[5][6] However, when Street Fighter was brought to the US Blanka's coloring was attributed to his being struck by lightning during the electrical storm in which his plane crashed.[7][8] In Street Fighter II Blanka's skin is yellowish-green, but later versions of the character are bright green.[9]

Blanka first appears in Street Fighter II, when he sees his mother (who tells his backstory) after he competes in the World Warrior tournament.[16][20] According to the story, Blanka was born as a boy named Jimmy who was involved in a plane crash in the Amazon rainforest.[7][20] Although in the initial games Blanka's mother says the plane crashed when he was "a little boy", the manual for Street Fighter IV says it happened when he was a baby.[16][21] After the crash he was exposed to electric eels, triggering the mutation which changed his appearance and gave him electric powers.[20] In Street Fighter Alpha 3, a prequel to Street Fighter II,[22] Blanka rides on a truck to civilization for the first time.[23] After defeating Zangief,[19]Balrog and the leader of the Shadaloo criminal organization M. Bison,[24][25] Blanka joins old friend Dan Hibiki[26] and Sakura (Dan's pupil) to destroy Bison's "psycho drive" weapon.[27] Blanka then returns to the jungle.[28]

In Street Fighter IV, whose events are set after Street Fighter II,[29] Blanka, living in a town, feels out of place and decides to travel the world.[30] At the end of the game, Dan helps his mother find him in Hong Kong.[17] In Super Street Fighter IV, Blanka enters a worldwide tournament to be recognized by people so his mother will be proud of him.[18] When he returns home, the townspeople visit him and he plays with them.[31]

Blanka has been described as a fan favorite by video game media UGO Networks, IGN, GameSpot and 1UP.com,[41][42][43][44] with IGN calling him "one of the most recognizable Street Fighter characters".[5] GamesRadar said that Blanka "never quite approached Chun-Li's popularity, but has gained a strong fan following nevertheless".[20] Sharing ninth place with Ken Masters in the Japanese magazine Gamest's 1991 best-character list,[45] in the 1992 poll he finished 38th.[46] Blanka was voted 20th in Capcom's poll of 85 characters for the series' 15th anniversary.[47] In 2008, the character was the tenth-most-popular video game character (out of 500) in the United Kingdom.[48] Although Blanka was well received by Brazilian gamers, Capcom was criticized for its depiction of Brazil. Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono, surprised when told that Blanka is popular among Brazilians, apologized for the poor impression of the country given by the character.[49] When the Brazilian program Custe o Que Custar asked people in Spain who the best-known Brazilians were, Blanka ranked third (after Gisele Bündchen and Pelé).[50] In 2009, after Rio de Janeiro was chosen to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, an internet meme spread making Blanka the games' unofficial mascot.[51] A 2012 meme said that O Maior Brasileiro de Todos os Tempos, the Brazilian version of 100 Greatest Britons, had chosen Blanka the "Greatest Brazilian of All Time".[52]

IGN ranked Blanka seventh of its "Top 25 Street Fighter Characters", noting his unique characteristics,[7] and GameDaily placed Blanka fourth on its "Top 20 Street Fighter Characters of All Time" list.[53] He was ranked the franchise's 17th-best character (out of 50) by UGO as initially "hook[ing]" gamers and "an indispensable part of Street Fighter now."[41] Including Blanka on a list of "The 30 best Capcom characters of the last 30 years", GamesRadar staff said that they could include all of Street Fighter II's characters but would only choose "the wildest of the crazy characters in the game. Blanka exemplifies the special brand of insanity that made us love Capcom."[54]Edge's James Leach called him "by far the best character" in Street Fighter II.[55]GameSpy called Blanka one of the "25 Extremely Rough Brawlers" in video gaming, praising the brutality of his attacks.[56] The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review described the character as resembling "some ridiculous hair-club-for-Hulks member", although his electric attacks made him an effective character.[57]Computer and Video Games, GamesRadar and Game Revolution also noted the difficulty of fighting Blanka.[54][58][59] Blanka has been called a "monster" and "weird",[60][61] and GamesRadar said he "is a bit goofy looking in the Alpha series"[22] (described by GameSpot as "comical").[62] GameDaily and GamesRadar joked about the character's "sweet" ending (in contrast to his appearance),[20][53] and Empire called his ending "the worst ... in the game."[9]

^ abcCapcom (1991). Street Fighter II. Capcom. Blanka's mother: Jimmy...? Are you my long lost son, Jimmy? / Blanka: Who are you? Why would I be your son? My name's Blanka. / Blanka's mother: My son was lost in an airplaine crash over Brazil when he was only a little boy. Wait! That anklet... I gave that to you on your birthday! / Blanka: Mommy! / Blanka's mother: Jimmy!

^ abCapcom (February 17, 2009). Street Fighter IV. Capcom. Scene: Blanka's ending cut scene. Blanka: Dear, Mama, I'm Hong Kong. -Jimmy / Blanka's mother: Jimmy! / Blanka: Mama!? What are you doing here? / Blanka's mother: Oh, Jimmy. I just love spending my time with you! It makes me so happy! Let's go home now, sweetheart. / Blanka: People still stare at me sometimes, but I don't le it get to me. It's OK to make mistakes once in a while. As long as I get to spend time with my Mama, everything will be just fine...

^ abCapcom (April 27, 2010). Super Street Fighter IV. Capcom. Blanka: Dan taught me how to be a better man. I'm gonna win this tournament. If win, I can earn everyone's respect. Mama will be so proud. Mama always takes such a good care of me... Most people are scared of me, but not her... I'll come back a new man, Mama. One you can be proud of. Just you wait and see!

^ abCapcom (June 29, 1998). Street Fighter Alpha 3. Capcom. Zangief: How could I lose such a fight?! Great Leader, I am very sorry... I've failed my mission... I could not destroy Shadaloo... / Blanka: Uwo uwo? <What is this Shadaloo?>

^Capcom (June 29, 1998). Street Fighter Alpha 3. Capcom. Narrator: Blanka lived as he pleased, deep within the jungle of the Amazon. One day, he unwittingly hitched a ride on a poacher's car. Curious and excited, Blanka now ventures into the outside world.

^Capcom (June 29, 1998). Street Fighter Alpha 3. Capcom. Dan: This place sure smells evil... The bad guys must be here! Let's destroy the entire base! Well, then again... This place is enormous! How can we destroy it? / Sakura: Well, I suppose you could destroy its power source. That would be a start! / Dan: My number one disciple never fails me! Okay, let's find it! Ha ha! That must be what we're looking for! Jimmy! Let me see that move you always do! / Blanka: Uwhoo! <Right!> UWOOOOOOO!! <UWOOOOOOO!!> Sakura: Master Hibiki... It looks like it's going to explode.... Dan: Yahoo!! Let's get out of here!!

^Capcom (June 29, 1998). Street Fighter Alpha 3. Capcom. Narrator: Blanka ran off to the horizon, as free as the wind... The outside world has much to offer to his curiosity!

^Capcom (February 17, 2009). Street Fighter IV. Capcom. Blanka: As long as you're here, Mama, I don't mind living in town. I can still do my street fights, and the best part is that I get to be with my Mama. But, I'm sad. Why am I sad? Because my being here has only made things hard on you. Everyone stares at us and they talk bad behind our backs. That's why I have to leave. I can't be here anymore. Wait for me, Mama. I'll come back when I won't be an embarrassment to you anymore.